How to Turn Off Safe Mode on Android | Causes and Steps to Return to Normal Mode

If you turned on your Android phone and noticed the words "Safe mode" printed in the corner of the screen, you are not alone. Safe mode locks you out of every app you installed yourself, removes your widgets, and prevents your launcher from working — all while the phone looks perfectly normal otherwise. The good news is that turning off safe mode is almost always straightforward, and in most cases a simple restart is all it takes.

This article explains what safe mode is, why Android sometimes enters it on its own, and how to exit it step by step. It covers the universal methods that work on any Android phone as well as model-specific steps for Galaxy, Pixel, AQUOS, and Xperia devices. If your phone keeps returning to safe mode no matter how many times you restart it, the troubleshooting section walks through the three most common causes — a sticky power button, a misbehaving app, and a worn-out battery — and tells you exactly what to do about each one.

What Is Android Safe Mode?

Safe mode is a diagnostic state built into Android. When the phone boots in safe mode, it loads only the apps that came pre-installed with the operating system and disables every third-party app you added later. This makes it possible to tell whether a recently installed app is causing a problem — if the phone works fine in safe mode, the culprit is almost certainly a third-party app.

The concept is the same as Safe Mode in Windows: run the system with the minimum set of components so that problems can be isolated and identified. Unlike Windows, Android displays the words "Safe mode" directly on the screen so that you always know the phone is running in that state.

What You Cannot Do in Safe Mode

While your phone is in safe mode, the following are unavailable:

Third-party apps you installed (their icons are still visible, but tapping them does nothing)
Widgets on the home screen
Third-party launchers and home screen customization apps
Some security apps and battery-saving apps that run in the background

Everything that came with the phone still works normally. You can make calls, send text messages, use the camera, browse the web with the stock browser, and access all system settings.

Where the Safe Mode Indicator Appears

As long as the phone is in safe mode, the words Safe mode appear in the bottom-left corner of the screen. The label stays there no matter which app you open or which home screen page you swipe to. Some phones also show a "Running in safe mode" notification in the notification shade. If you see the label in the corner, the phone is definitely in safe mode.

Basic Steps to Turn Off Safe Mode

The exact steps vary slightly depending on your phone, but the methods below work on the vast majority of Android devices. Try them in order.

Restart Your Phone (Easiest Method)

A normal restart clears the safe mode flag almost every time.

Press and hold the power button until the power menu appears.
Tap Restart (or Reboot).
Wait for the phone to finish restarting.
Check the bottom-left corner of the screen. If the "Safe mode" label is gone, the phone is back to normal.

If the phone restarts and immediately enters safe mode again, move on to the next method.

Use the Power Menu to Disable Safe Mode

Some Android phones show a dedicated Turn off safe mode option directly in the power menu.

Press and hold the power button for one to two seconds.
If the power menu includes a Turn off safe mode option, tap it.
Confirm with OK if a dialog appears.
The phone will restart and return to normal mode.

If you do not see that option in the power menu, your phone model does not support it. Use the standard Restart option instead.

Restart from the Settings App

If the power button is difficult to press or not responding reliably, you can restart from inside the Settings app.

Open the Settings app.
Scroll to and tap General management or System (the label differs by manufacturer).
Tap Reset or Restart.
Select Restart and confirm.

Restarting from Settings has exactly the same effect as using the power button menu — it will exit safe mode.

Model-Specific Safe Mode Exit Steps

Each Android manufacturer arranges the power menu and restart options slightly differently. The steps below cover the four most common brands sold in Japan.

Galaxy

Samsung Galaxy devices show a power menu with Power off, Restart, and Emergency SOS when you hold the power button.

Press and hold the power button.
Tap Restart.
If a pop-up asks "Turn off safe mode?", tap Turn off.
The phone restarts in normal mode.

On some Galaxy models, the quick settings panel (pulled down from the top of the screen) shows a Safe mode tile while safe mode is active. Tapping that tile is another way to disable it.

Pixel (Stock Android)

Google Pixel phones follow stock Android behavior. On Android 12 and later, Google moved the power menu to prevent accidental Assistant launches.

Press and hold the power button (on Android 12 and later, press power + volume up at the same time).
Tap Restart in the power menu.
The phone restarts in normal mode.

Pixel devices generally do not show a dedicated "Turn off safe mode" option in the power menu, so a standard restart is the correct approach.

AQUOS

Sharp AQUOS phones use a standard Android power menu.

Press and hold the power button.
Tap Restart when the power menu appears.
The phone restarts in normal mode.

On some AQUOS models, holding the power button opens Google Assistant instead of the power menu. If that happens, go to Settings and change the power button long-press behavior under Power key settings, or use the Settings app restart method described above.

Xperia

Sony Xperia phones respond to a two-second press of the power button.

Press and hold the power button for about two seconds.
Tap Restart.
The phone restarts in normal mode.

On Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 series phones, the power button and volume buttons are positioned close together. Be careful not to press a volume button at the same time, as that may trigger a force restart or screenshot instead.

Why Does Safe Mode Keep Coming Back?

If your phone returns to safe mode every time you restart it, something is triggering the safe mode condition automatically at boot. The three most common causes are a stuck power button, a problematic app, and a degraded battery.

Physical Problem with the Power Button

This is the single most common cause of repeated safe mode. Android enters safe mode when the power button is held down during boot. If the power button is physically stuck in a partially pressed position, the phone interprets every boot as a safe mode request.

To check, press the power button several times and feel for any unusual resistance, grinding, or a button that does not spring back cleanly. If the button feels stiff or stays slightly depressed, the hardware is the problem.

What you can do:

Remove any phone case and press the area around the power button firmly a few times. Debris or a misaligned case can sometimes cause the button to stick, and pressing it may dislodge the obstruction.
If that does not fix it, contact the manufacturer's repair service or an authorized service center. A stuck power button requires physical repair.

A Problematic App

An app that was recently installed or updated may be crashing at startup and forcing Android into safe mode as a protective measure.

Because safe mode disables all third-party apps, you can use Settings normally while the phone is in safe mode to find and remove the culprit.

While in safe mode, open Settings and tap Apps (or Application manager).
Look through the list for apps you installed or updated recently.
Tap a suspicious app and choose Uninstall or Uninstall updates.
Restart the phone and check whether it boots in normal mode.

Uninstall one app at a time, restart after each removal, and check whether the phone returns to normal. This process of elimination helps you identify the exact app that was causing the issue.

Degraded Battery

A battery that has lost significant capacity may struggle to supply enough power during the boot process. When the power fluctuates during startup, Android can fall back to safe mode as a protective measure.

To test whether the battery is the cause, plug the phone into a charger and try booting while it is connected. If the phone boots into normal mode while charging but returns to safe mode on battery power alone, battery degradation is likely the cause.

To check battery health, go to Settings > Battery and look for a Battery health or Battery status option (the label varies by manufacturer and Android version). If health is below 80 percent, replacing the battery is worth considering.

What to Do When Safe Mode Will Not Turn Off

If a standard restart does not exit safe mode, work through the following steps in order.

Try a Force Restart

A force restart cuts power to the phone and restarts it cold, bypassing the normal shutdown sequence.

Force restart method for most Android phones

Press and hold the power button + volume down simultaneously for 10 to 15 seconds, or
Press and hold only the power button for 10 to 20 seconds until the screen goes black and the phone restarts.

The button combination varies by manufacturer. Galaxy typically uses power + volume down. Pixel uses power + volume up. Xperia uses a long press of the power button alone. After the force restart, check whether the phone comes back in normal mode.

Uninstall the Problem App

If force restarting does not help, use the safe mode window as an opportunity to remove recently installed apps one by one.

Open the Settings app.
Tap Apps (or Application management).
Find an app you installed or updated recently.
Tap the app name, then tap Uninstall.
Restart the phone and check whether it enters normal mode.

Remove one app per restart cycle so you can pinpoint which app was responsible. Once the phone boots normally, you have found the cause. You can then search for an updated version of that app or choose a different app for the same purpose.

Factory Reset as a Last Resort

If nothing else works, a factory reset restores the phone to the state it was in when it left the factory. This erases all personal data, so back up your important files to a Google account, cloud storage, or a computer before proceeding.

Open the Settings app.
Tap General management or System.
Tap Reset.
Tap Factory data reset (or Erase all data).
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the reset.

After the reset, Android will walk you through the initial setup. Signing in with your Google account restores many of your apps and settings automatically. For more Android troubleshooting scenarios, see the Android Troubleshooting Summary for a broader overview of common problems and fixes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can I make phone calls while my Android is in safe mode?

A. Yes. All pre-installed apps continue to work normally in safe mode, including the phone app, messaging, camera, and the default web browser. Emergency calls are also fully functional.

Q. Will any changes I make in Settings during safe mode be saved after I restart?

A. Yes. Safe mode only disables third-party apps — it does not prevent the system from saving changes. Any setting you adjust in the Settings app while in safe mode remains in effect after you restart into normal mode. The exception is settings controlled by a third-party app: those apps are inactive in safe mode, so you cannot change their settings until you are back in normal mode.

Q. Can I accidentally trigger safe mode by pressing the wrong buttons?

A. Yes, it can happen. Pressing the volume down button or holding the power button while the Android logo is displayed during startup can cause the phone to boot into safe mode. This sometimes occurs when a phone is sitting in a bag or pocket during a restart. A simple restart is all it takes to exit safe mode when this is the cause.

Q. If I do a factory reset and then reinstall the same apps, will the problem come back?

A. Possibly. If a specific app was causing safe mode to trigger repeatedly, reinstalling that app will reproduce the problem. Use safe mode to narrow down which app is responsible before you reset. After the reset, skip reinstalling that app until a fixed version is available, or look for an alternative app.

Q. Does the iPhone have a safe mode?

A. No. iOS does not have a feature called safe mode. iPhones have DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode and Recovery mode, but those serve a different purpose — they are used to reinstall or restore iOS itself, not to run the phone with a limited set of apps.

Summary

Turning off safe mode on Android is almost always as simple as restarting the phone. Press and hold the power button, tap Restart, and wait for the phone to boot. If the "Safe mode" label disappears from the bottom-left corner of the screen, you are done.

If the phone keeps returning to safe mode, check for three possible causes: a power button that is physically stuck, an app that was recently installed or updated and is crashing at startup, or a battery that has degraded to the point where it cannot supply stable power during boot. Address whichever cause applies, and the problem should stop.

For the rare case where none of these steps work, a factory reset is the final option. Back up your data first, and remember that signing back into your Google account after the reset will restore most of your apps and settings automatically.